Proverbs 4:23 Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. Today won’t leave you as it found you. It will leave you better or worse—more congenial or more cantankerous, more caring or more insensitive, more judgmental or more tolerant. It will leave you with faith, hope, and love enlarged or diminished. […]
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Be full of joy in the Lord always. —Philippians 4:4 Is something sabotaging your happiness? Fill in the blank: “I will be happy when__________________________.” Will you really be happy if that happens? What if it doesn’t happen? Is your happiness so dependent on that one thing that you’ll spend
What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. —Isaiah 46:11 Peter’s goose was cooked. His execution was set for tomorrow. But tonight he was sawing logs in his cell (Acts 11:1–6). How could
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. —Psalm 107:1 A well-known lady was asked, “If you were promised the fulfillment of one wish, what would that wish be?” She answered, “I would wish for the ability to be grateful
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Outdo one another in showing honor. —Romans 12:10 The Bible plays down self-promotion. It accentuates serving and honoring others. Here’s the apostle Paul’s advice: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought” (Rom 12:3). “Outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom 12:10). “Look
Even if our conscience condemns us, God is greater than our conscience. —1 John 3:19 The New English Bible translates 1 John 3:19 this way: “This is how we may know that we belong to the realm of truth, and convince ourselves in his
You shall have no other gods before me. —Exodus 20:3 Gene attended every game that his hometown high school team played. He knew the stats of every player on his favorite college team. He could rattle off the scores
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We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. —Proverbs 16:9 How’s your day going? Any interruptions? Intrusions? A day seldom goes as planned. Irritating interruptions and irksome intrusions regularly torpedo your schedule. All bad? Not necessarily. It may be testing you to
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The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. —Matthew 24:44 The Roman city of Pompeii was posh. Elegant houses lined its paved streets. Factories, shops, taverns, and brothels were booming. It was just an ordinary day in Pompeii in 79 A.D. People were
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She did what she could. —Mark 14:8 Sarah has been furloughed due to the coronavirus pandemic. She has no money for Sunday’s collection, but she gives what she can—her time and compassion. She asked the church office for a list of the widows in their membership. Sarah mother hens
